The owner of a planned new restaurant in Swansea said he wanted to work with residents who claimed that another licensed premises would mean yet more drunken noise and disturbance in the area.
Kah How Hoh was speaking at a council licensing sub-committee meeting, where councillors also heard from two Brynmill residents who were dismayed at the number of venues which sold alcohol.
Mr Hoh has a Chinese takeaway in Brynymor Road, Brynmill, and has planning consent to convert the neighbouring premises into a restaurant, which will be called Sky-70.
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Mr Hoh told the sub-committee that he lived in Brynymor Road and did face problems himself. But he said he felt the cause of these issues were premises further towards the city centre rather than Brynymor Road itself.
"There is always a minority of people causing a problem," he said. "I want to work with the neighbours to make this (business) work."
And he said he was surprised to hear, when told, that a petition was being drawn up in opposition to his licensing application.
Mr Hoh requested a licence which would enable him to serve alcohol at Sky-70 until 12.30am, Sunday to Thursday, and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. He said the venue would probably seat 40 to 60 people, with further capacity at a proposed beer garden at the rear.
Brynmill resident Christopher Cornwell objected in writing and also addressed the sub-committee to outline his concerns. His letter said residents largely valued most of the bars and restaurants in Brynymor Road but that "the tension between the residential status of this area and the late-night drinking is palpable".
It said: "I cannot tell you how angry and stressed it makes us to be constantly disturbed by noisy, drunken nuisances."
The letter said he had footage on his phone of an incident in which two "blood-soaked" men were arrested by police. It said the community worked hard to make the area "as wonderful as it usually is" but that too often Brynymor Road was "besmirched by overspilling throngs of violent, loud drunks".
Mr Cornwell told the sub-committee at the February 4 meeting that there was no need for another licensed premises in the area. In his view, allowing an additional one could not satisfy the council's licensing objectives, such as the prevention of public nuisance. He said the sale of alcohol was "demonstrably linked" to criminality, noise and nuisance.
"I come home and find people literally urinating on my door," he added.
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He said he'd had to remove commercial wheelie bins from the middle of the road, which revellers had put there.
Mr Cornwell insisted he didn't "have a beef" with any of the pub landlords and that Mr Hoh "seems to be a very, very nice man".
Reminded by sub-committee chairwoman, Cllr Penny Matthews, that South Wales Police had not objected to Mr Hoh's licence application, Mr Cornwell replied: "I don't care really - they don't have time to police the area."
Another resident told the sub-committee that he had lived in Brynymor Road and nearby Catherine Street since 1988, and that "a very different dynamic" had replaced what used to be a family-friendly area.
He said a bit of noise at 11pm was "fine", but witnessing fighting and screaming at 1am was not, especially when people had to get up for work the next morning.
The sub-committee retired to consider the evidence and take legal advice, and decided to grant the licence to Mr Hoh.
However, the beer garden outside will have to close at 10pm, and the sub-committee requested a designated smoking area within the beer garden to deter customers from smoking on the pavement outside. In addition, doors and windows at Sky-70 will need to be closed from 10pm, and no bottle-emptying can take place after 9.30pm.
It was explained to Mr Cornwell that the 2003 Licensing Act contained a presumption to grant licences unless there was an overriding factor to the contrary.
Mr Cornwell said he might have to consider moving, but wished Mr Hoh the best of luck with the business.
"I consider my whole life to have been made worse by this episode," he said.
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